Waltham Forest

Waltham Forest's population expanded in the 10 years leading up to the latest census. At the same time there were changes in housing tenure and health.

The population passed quarter of a million

In the decade to 2011, the population of Waltham Forest increased by 18%, from just over 218,000 to 258,000.

The addition of just under 40,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Waltham Forest was home to, on average, 48 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres).

Population density was higher than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Waltham Forest

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Waltham Forest decreased by one year, from 33 to 32 years.

This urban area had a lower average age than London and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just under 9,900 people between the ages of 40 and 49 years, while the population over the age of 80 years decreased by almost 300.

About 15% of people in Waltham Forest are aged between 40 and 49 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Waltham Forest by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Waltham Forest that rented privately increased from 16% to 26% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just over one in five (22%) households lived in social housing, compared with 24% in 2001. The percentage of Waltham Forest households that owner their home decreased from 58% to 50%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 15% in 2001 to 25% in 2011). Across England, the proportion increased from 9.9% to 17%.

Private renting in Waltham Forest increased by 10 percentage points

Percentage of households in Waltham Forest, London and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Waltham Forest residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 9.0% to 5.2% between the last two censuses.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (83%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 69% in 2001. The percentage of Waltham Forest residents that described their health as fair decreased from 22% to 12%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 8.3% in 2001 to 5.0% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Waltham Forest decreased by 3.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Waltham Forest, London and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Waltham Forest

The number of people in Waltham Forest that described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 34,000 in 2001 to about 46,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 15% to 18% of the local population.

The percentage increased by less than the average across London (from 16% to 21%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Waltham Forest that described themselves as Christian remained close to 120,000 between the last two censuses (from 57% to 48% of the population). The number of people who described themselves as Muslim increased from just under 33,000 to about 57,000 (from 15% to 22%).

Just under 19,000 people (8.9%) did not state their religion, similar to the amount in 2001 (which at the time represented 7.3%)

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Waltham Forest increased by 2.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Waltham Forest by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Waltham Forest working less than 16 hours increased from 2.0% to 3.7% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 13 (7.9%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 10% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 2.0% in 2001 to 3.3% in 2011). Across England, the proportion increased from 1.9% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Waltham Forest increased by 1.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Waltham Forest, London and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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